Former Unifor national president Jerry Dias says he is entering a residential rehabilitation facility and stepping away temporarily from all of his advisory positions.
He says that he has been using pain killers, sleeping pills and alcohol to deal with a sciatic nerve issue.
Dias says these factors have impaired his judgment in recent months and is seeking treatment at the advice of his doctor.
The news comes roughly a week after Unifor, which represents more than 310,000 Canadian workers, including Global News employees, announced Dias would retire because of ongoing health issues that had already prompted him to take a medical leave.
A day later, Unifor revealed its secretary-treasurer Lana Payne was sent a complaint about Dias on Jan. 26 that alleged he had breached the union’s constitution.
Unifor says Dias engaged in a number of ethical breaches, including accepting $50,000 from a supplier of COVID-19 rapid test kits that he promoted to employers of Unifor members, several of whom purchased those test kits.